Mobile phone users increasingly rely on their mobile phones for their communication and organizational needs. More recently, Push-to-Talk (PTT) technology over a cellular network, a Voice-Over IP (VoIP) network such as Session Initiated Protocol (SIP), or a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) has provided even more options for personal communications among groups of users. PTT provides users with instantaneous connections that bypass some of the more rigorous call establishment procedures associated with traditional mobile phone calls. It is the convenience of instantaneous two-way connection that gives PTT its appeal. While the infrastructure, systems, and hardware used to establish these connections works quite well, the steps incumbent upon the mobile phone user to activate PTT can seem complex or complicated, is especially true if a PTT session is to involve multiple parties. This front-end PTT initiation complexity effectively lessens the benefits of instantaneous connections that can be achieved with PTT.
What is needed is a procedure that reduces the front-end complexity associated with PTT initiation, especially if a PTT session is to involve multiple parties.